Rohan Dennis breaks cycling's world hour record

Samantha Lane

Australian cyclist Rohan Dennis has broken the world hour record on the track, setting a new benchmark of 52.491 kilometres.

When fellow Australian Jack Bobridge attempted the same feat in Melbourne last week he was left physically exhausted, unable to even dismount his bike for several excruciating minutes while he vomited trackside.

Rohan Dennis celebrates setting a new world hour record on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Handed an Australian flag, the 24-year-old BMC Rider, who won the Tour Down Under in Adelaide last month with expert support from Evans, waved it ecstatically before plonking into a plush red armchair for an interview.

"I'm really, really proud," the 2011 world pursuit champion and 2012 Olympic silver medallist said. "With BMC, they made it easy. The whole week leading into this, since Tour Down Under, was very stress-less. There was no pressure and everything worked perfectly. It almost feels too easy, though obviously it wasn't. They made it absolutely perfect."

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After his failed attempt at breaking the record – Bobridge managed 51.3 kilometres in the hour – it took the distressed rider some time to recover sufficiently to talk to the press. When he did, the South Australian was still clearly affected by the taxing exercise that he described as feeling like a near-death experience.

Australian cyclist Rohan Dennis rides to a new world hour record in Switzerland on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Embraced by Evans and head BMC coach Neal Henderson, who paced his young Australian charge throughout the 60 minutes, Dennis said he could have ridden faster. At one stage in the attempt he was poised to record 52.739km, but he slowed up in the last 10 minutes.

"There was no point where I didn't think I could do it, it was just a matter of how much I'd beat it by," he later said.

Australia's Jack Bobridge in pain after his world record attempt. Photo: AFP

The vaunted record has previously been held by cycling royalty such as Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain and attempts to break it are back in vogue following a push from cycling's world governing body, the UCI.

When Bobridge made his attempt during last week's Australian track championships meet, Thornbury's DISC velodrome was filled.

British Olympic and world time-trial champion Bradley Wiggins has indicated he wants to attempt the record but has not committed to a date.

The hour record must be attempted solo and from a stationary start. Attempted over history by the world's elite and amateur cyclists, the first known record over an hour was set in 1876 when American Frank Dodds rode 26.508km on a penny-farthing.

Merckx rode 49.331km in 1972 and described it as the hardest ride he'd ever done.